1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to partition systems of the type used in office spaces, and more particularly, to a movable and reconfigurable office partition system including a framework to which decorative and/or functional tiles are attached for subdividing an office space.
2. Description of the Related Art
Partition systems, which are used to divide interior office spaces, typically include a plurality of panels, each having a rectangular frame formed from vertical and horizontal frame members rigidly connected to one another. Panel tiles are mounted to the rectangular frames to cover the frames and to subdivide the office space into individual spaces such as work stations, conference rooms, and the like. Typically, the individual panels in the system are connected by attaching the rectangular frames of adjacent panels together along the side edges of the rectangular frames. The panels may be connected in an end-to-end manner to form a partition wall, or may be connected to one another to form L-, T-, or X-type panel-to-panel connections to form junctions between the partition walls.
In partition systems having the foregoing construction, the connections along the side edges of the rectangular panel frames are typically the weakest points in the entire partition system. Therefore, in order to provide rigid, durable connections between the panel frames, a plurality of brackets, latches, or other structures are needed, which may be difficult and tedious to install.
Additionally, known partition systems typically include decorative tiles for mounting to the panel frames to provide privacy between the individual work space areas within the office space which are formed by the partition system. The decorative tiles are sized to have a width which is co-extensive with the rectangular frames, which disadvatageously limits the locational positioning of the tiles on the frames and does not allow for flexibility in the configuration of the tiles relative to the frames.
Modular furniture components, such as work surfaces, cabinets and the like are typically mounted to the panels using specialized brackets or other hardware. Thus, the modular furniture components are disposed in a fixed position relative to the panels and are not easily movable or reconfigurable with respect thereto. In this manner, the decorative and space-dividing functions are performed by the decorative tile, while other functions, such as storage, are provided only by the modular furniture components.
Existing partition systems are substantially fixed after their initial installation, and do not permit easy reconfiguration thereof based upon changing space demands in a workspace. Existing systems further do not permit easy expansion, in which additional partition systems components are added to partition system components which are already installed.
What is needed is a partition system for office spaces which is an improvement over the foregoing.